Greek Easter Soup with Avgolemeno Sauce

1/2 chicken, cut up
3 cups water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 scallions, finely chopped
5 cups water or chicken consommé
1/2 cup fresh dill
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup rice
Salt and pepper

Boil chicken in the 3 cups water for 50 minutes. Remove from heat; strain broth and set aside. Chop chicken into pieces.

Cook onion, dill and parsley in butter with 1 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper until soft and transparent, being careful not to brown. Add chopped chicken and cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken broth and enough water to make 2 quarts liquid; bring to boil and add rice. Reduce heat and cook until rice is done. Remove from heat and blend in Avgolemeno Sauce.

Avgolemeno Sauce (Egg-Lemon Sauce)
7 eggs (at room temperature)
2 tablespoons water
Juice of 3 lemons

Beat egg whites with water until stiff. Blend in egg yolks, then add lemon juice, beating until thick. With a ladle, add a small amount of hot broth to the egg mixture, blending quickly. Pour sauce into soup and serve immediately.